Statement of Purpose

SHEIKH MD SHAFIQUR RAHMAN

Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) Application

May 2019
Ever since my childhood I have planned to follow in the footsteps of my parents, who devoted
their lives to healthcare sectors by working in several government hospitals and health
organizations. Having completed MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery) degree,
now I have planned to study master of healthcare management as I recognize the importance of
good management in maximizing the services offered in health sectors. I have worked in the
clinical settings for one year during my internship in a medical college hospital and I have enjoyed
almost every day of it. Thus, I have become interested in the business of patient care. The idea of
how certain decisions were made or what processes were in place to make changes within the
organization were not even fleeting thoughts in my mind. However, in the last few months, I have
begun to have such an interest. I have requested and been given more non-clinical responsibilities
and have been able to interact with people outside of my small clinical environment such as
attending seminars with pharmacists and having meetings with healthcare executives of various
public health organizations. The answers to my initial questions of ‘why’ or ‘how’ have only lead
to more in depth questions. A strong desire to understand how the health organizations work and
make sense of all different, intricate levels of decision making has been born. I suppose, it was
always there but needed a spark to become the large flame that currently burns.

Along the way, I have gained a significant amount of clinical knowledge that has benefited me in
both my clinical environment and the relatively new non-clinical arena. It is with this knowledge
that I have gained the ability to mentor new employees and train those that have recently joined
into the hospital. The individual and professional development that I have gained from these
experiences has been some of the most beneficial learning experiences that I have ever obtained.

Slowly, I have gained an interest in the management of the clinical unit as well as the management
of the hospital as a whole. I have been given more administrative responsibilities in addition to my
regular clinical responsibilities. Processes such as maintaining and balancing the monthly intern
doctors schedules, making roster duty schedules for the intern doctors, ensuring that appropriate
daily room and board charges are accurate as well as the bi-weekly employee payrolls have opened
doors into a world, which previously was unknown to me. Not only have these and other, extra
responsibilities opened doors, they have turned a flame of curiosity into a full blown passion for
health administration and all of the intricate and delicate processes therein.

Working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has been extremely rewarding and
educational, often difficult and sometimes heartbreaking. These experiences have increased my
passion for a health administrative role. I have seen areas that the hospital has improved upon
dramatically and has begun to recognize others that could use improvement. However, in my
current role, often the extent of my influence with regard to policy change is merely suggestion or
advice and I have not been given the opportunity directly to affect change. However, this fact has
not slowed me down. I have frequently pushed forward ideas that I have and methods of improving
workflow or processes.

Having worked in my position for one year, I have a unique perspective on how a seemingly
innocuous policy change may have a dramatic effect on the daily workflow of the clinician. I
understand how staff will respond to and thus follow certain department wide and hospital wide
changes. While some policies need to be changed or improved, regardless of how well it is
received, there are often different methods of affecting this change.
My interest in healthcare administration is dominated by the integration of new health care delivery
systems, technological innovations, restructuring of work and policy demands greater involvement
in deciding how our knowledge is used. I would like to take part in deciding how we as a society
deal with providing the best quality of care for all citizens. I have accepted that anyone interested
in success has to learn to view failure as a healthy, inevitable part of the process of getting to the
top.

My education focusing on healthcare administration will enable me to be successful in managing

the integration of new healthcare delivery systems, technological innovations, restructuring of
work and budgets, and the increased focus on preventative care. I intend to earn a Master degree
in Health Administration, which I will use as a springboard and background to develop and expand
programs for scientific research, preventative medicine, medical and vocational rehabilitation, and
community health and welfare at a healthcare institution. I am accustomed to a robust system that
grants equal access to health care and health related services to its users. Everyone is entitled to
the highest standard of physical and mental well-being and I will look forward to working in an
environment, which will allow me to create and sustain outstanding healthcare services in a rapidly
changing industry. As a healthcare administrator, I will be committed to improving efficiency in
healthcare facilities and the quality of the care provided in my organization.

Furthermore, Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) degree will develop my skills,

knowledge and values that are appropriate when beginning a career in health policy. Health
administrators plan and organize the delivery of services within the healthcare organizations. For
example: long and acute care facilities, rehab centers, hospitals and health clinics. I will be able to
use these skills after I graduate with MHA degree. I volunteered in programs such as, Life-link
during my final year of undergraduate education. For example, in Life-link, I was able to mentor
people who had Down syndrome. I made them to walk, to recall a childhood memory, did activities
with them and I made sure they knew that I was there to help them. This experience made me
realize that healthcare is definitely is the career I want. I care about the quality of life no matter
who it is and I think that people should be able to get a chance for a better future.

My passion is and always will be in healthcare and health related fields. I just have started my
career as a health professional and have a firm desire to continue to do so. While my time in the
direct patient care clinical setting has been extremely rewarding as well as beneficial, I strongly
believe that there is a place in health sector management and leadership for an individual with very
unique qualifications and abilities, such as myself. I have worked hand in hand with clinicians
during my internship in a medical college hospital who can make a meaningful change and have a
dramatic effect on the outcome of a critically ill patient’s life. I wish I will be able to do the similar
work at the administrative level after achieving an MHA degree in the future.